Chances are, if you were a race fan in the Midwest this past weekend, your racing options were limited. And, while the crew at 34 Raceway was doing everything in its power to prove the old addage, "The show must go on" to be true, it may have been likely that a number of people stayed home anyway, not wanting to chance the elements
Despite a handful of rain delays, the hard work the track crew did in preparing the surface paid off as those in attendance witnessed, well, one hell of a show.
On the card for the night's action was the inaugural event for the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA). While the event was already expecting a strong car count, when the World of Outlaws Sprint show rained out in Oklahoma, those braving the weather to head to 34 Raceway got a little more bang for their buck as WoO regulars Danny Lasoski, Craig Dollansky and Kerry Madsen made the trek north to compete at 34, bringing the 410 Sprint count to 39 for the night.
The fast dash was eliminated from the proceedings due to the numerous delays and possibility of more showers throughout the evening, so the top qualifiers redrew following the heats for their A-main starting positions. Drawing the No. 2 pill was Lasoski, who quickly moved into the lead at the drop of the green.
Dollansky and Madsen, who were also among those in the redraw, stayed close to Lasoski as the leaders entered lapped traffic just the fourth time around the lightning-fast 3/8-mile oval. A couple of laps later, as the leaders made their way down the front straightaway, Dollansky and Madsen made contact as they were battling for position, leaving Dollansky with a broken front end and Madsen making contact with the wall. Caught up in the fracas was Billy Standridge, who made contact with Dollansky's ride as it limped down the front stretch. The red flag stopped action when Standridge's ride got upside down as a result of the contact.
Madsen was able to continue when racing resumed as he returned to pursue Lasoski. Madsen made his bid for the lead on lap 11, but was sidelined one lap later with a flat right rear, presumably from contact with the wall. The second and final caution flag waved due to the lap 12 incident, leaving Lasoski out front with Joey Moughan, Jerrod Hull and Brandon Wimmer fourth. Running fifth at the time was B-Main qualifier and local driver Kaley Gharst, who worked into fifth after starting the event 18th.
On the restart, Lasoski again wasted little time distancing himself from the field, encountering backmarkers once more just a handful of laps later. By the time Lasoski encountered the lapped cars, Gharst made his way past Wimmer and closed in on Hull for third. He cleared Hull two laps later, then methodically ran down Moughan as he split through traffic, making his bid for second with only five laps remaining in the 30-lapper.
Gharst reeled in the pace-setter and mounted a challenge for the lead as the white flag waved. As he worked to pull even with Lasoski, Gharst pushed in turn two allowing Lasoski to drive away to the $2,500 payday. Gharst thrilled the crowd with his second place run ahead of Moughan, Wimmer and Hull.
The IMCA Late Model points season also opened over the weekend as 26 cars signed in to compete on Saturday in that division. For those who are fans of ESPN's SportsCenter, you're probably familiar with their top 10 plays of the day. While ESPN highlights the best moments of the day, it also provides its top 10 worst moments of the week - the "Not Top 10" - in the sports world. The folks from Bristol should have been on-hand for the 25-lap Late Model feature to get some material for that list...
At the start of the 25-lapper, outside front row starter Keith Pratt assumed command, but was heavily pressured by pole-sitter Matt Bailey and Rob Toland. From a third row start, Toland worked his way into the top three after two laps, then made his way around the high side of Bailey for second just two laps later.
Dropping back to the low side of Pratt, who was running the high groove, Toland powered beneath the race leader to take over the top spot on the eighth circuit. From there, it appeared Toland was going to school the field as he quickly pulled away from the pack.
As Toland built his lead to nearly a straightaway margin, Tom Darbyshire made his way past both Bailey and Pratt on the 11th lap, then worked on running down the leader. His efforts were assisted when Toland encountered lapped traffic a short time later. As Darbyshire closed in on Toland's rear bumper, the leader came upon another lapped car as they entered turn one. With Toland a groove off the bottom as he worked the backmarker, Darbyshire took advantage and slid his #42 to the inside, only to see Toland turn left and into his passenger side as the leaders worked through the first set of turns.
Darbyshire held the point as the leaders exited turn two, however Toland made his bid for a "Not Top 10" highlight as the pair motored down the back stretch. The two leaders remained glued together, seemingly literally, as Toland worked the back end of Darbyshire's ride, briefly forcing the new leader to wag the tail of his machine as he entered turn three. In the process, Toland's #39 spun out on the low side of the back stretch to bring out the caution flag.
With Toland in the pits and Darbyshire on the point, the race returned to green as Darbyshire led the remainder of the event to score the opening night win. Dennis Woodworth ran second ahead of Tom Goble, Jason Frankel and Jason Perry.
It was also the first points night of the season for the IMCA Stock Car division and Jeff Mueller took the win for what I believe was his second straight opening night victory at the speedway. Running second, Mueller worked the low side of John Oliver Jr. following a lap five caution to drive to the lead and eventual victory in the 20-lapper. Oliver ran second ahead of Corey Strothman, Matt Greiner and Derek St. Clair in the 24-car field.
You can't say enough about the hard work the crew at 34 Raceway did to get this show in the books. I was at the track on Friday afternoon and was not expecting to be back there for races Saturday night. Persistent and, at times, heavy rains pelted the area throughout the week and into the late Friday hours. The track owners and their team didn't just spend late hours working on the track on Friday night to get it race-ready, but they were there throughout the early morning hours on Saturday. The full pit area and huge crowd in the grandstands were definitely treated to the fruits of their labor. Thank you to Amy, Jeff, Lorrie, Scott, Sue, Tom and all the rest for making Saturday night happen!
Up next for 34 Raceway is the first "regular" night of racing this season on Saturday, April 30, as IMCA Late Models, Modifieds and Stock Cars, along with 305 Sprints and Hobby Stocks will see action. As for me, weather permitting, I'll be behind the mic for the season opener at Independence Motor Speedway on Saturday. Mother Nature, you've had your fun, but the season is here, it's time to go racing!
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